Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had a memorable stint as Man United manager. It had its ups and lows, but there were certain elements in which he excelled at. The Norwegian took over from a difficult situation and helped the Red Devils secure back-to-back top-4 finishes over the last two seasons.
He made a lot of changes, many of which paid off well. With that being said, let’s look at the 5 things he got right during his time as United manager.
Weeded out deadwood
A big task Ole had when he came to United was to shift out the underperforming players who didn’t suit his team. After the 0-4 loss to Everton in 2019, he insisted that some of the players in that line-up wouldn’t be in his squad for much longer.
From that team, Romelu Lukaku and Chris Smalling were shifted out in the summer window of 2019. He also sold the likes of Marouane Fellaini, Alexis Sanchez, Ashley Young, and Marcos Rojo – all of who were not part of his plans.
In doing so, he trimmed the squad and released it of players who weren’t going to improve things at all. Ole replaced the players with youngsters from the academy or signings, ultimately improving the overall quality of the squad.
Assembled a world-class squad barring 1-2 positions
Solskjaer has done a great job in leaving a very good squad for his successor. The United squad was not as strong in 2018 as it is right now. A top-level manager can definitely lodge a proper title challenge with this squad and get them far in Europe as well.
Ole did a great job evolving the squad which he inherited. By selling inconsistentt, underperforming players and signing players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes, Jadon Sancho he added more world-class players in the squad. It’s certain that whoever is his successor will give his thanks to Ole for the set of players he’s left.
Gave opportunities to youngsters
Solskjaer is accustomed to the ‘Man United way’ which promises opportunities to youngsters. With Ole, many players got first-team debuts (who can forget that Astana game?) while some became regulars.
Immediately after coming on, he promoted Mason Greenwood to the first-team squad. Under Ole, Mason scored 20 Premier League goals before turning 20. Marcus Rashford enjoyed his most prolific season under the Norwegian: 22 goals and 12 assists in 2019/20. Brandon Williams came almost from nowhere and then made 50 appearances across all competitions.
Ole stuck to his word of giving youngsters their chances and left the likes of Rashford and Greenwood better players than they were before his arrival.
Helped attacking players unlock potential
While United’s defensive quality under him was often criticized, Solskjaer made the Red Devils attractive to watch after coming aboard. It all started with the 5-1 win to Cardiff City in his first game, setting things up nicely.
Last season, United scored 121 goals across all competition. It was the most goals scored in a single season by the Red Devils in 14 years.
In his 168 games in charge, the Red Devils scored 308 goals. Bruno Fernandes (28), Marcus Rashford (21) and Edinson Cavani (17) thrived in the attack-minded system set up by Ole.
Rashford and Anthony Martial – who was United’s top scorer with 23 goals in the 2019/20 season – had their best goal-scoring seasons under Ole. As did Mason Greenwood, who netted 11 times last season. Ole definitely helped his attacking players unlock their full potential and produce some splendid attacking football over the last 3 years.
Maintained a positive dressing room
Solskjaer’s positive attitude spread through his dressing room. His squad always seemed to be a jubilant bunch who loved being in the company of each other.
Ole worked hard to maintain a nice harmony within his squad and for his players to be happy in the dressing room. Even in the end, when things got very bitter, the United dressing room didn’t become toxic as it reportedly did towards the end of Jose Mourinho’s reign.
The fact that Bruno Fernandes tried defending his manager even in his final game against Watford proved how much the players supported Ole and loved him as their manager.
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